The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday the latest postponement of the release of the first quarter crime statistics is “unacceptable and deeply troubling”, adding that it will write to Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia again to ask for the release date, while ActionSA has called for the immediate release of the statistics and an explanation for the delay.

The crime statistics for the first quarter were due at the end of August, the same time at which the South African Police Service (Saps) released last year’s data.

DA spokesperson on Police Lisa Schickerling said the figures were already seven weeks overdue, and said the lack of a timeframe was “indefensible”.

She said the Saps’ and Cachalia’s silence on the matter was “growing louder by the day”.

“The annual Safer Festive Season campaign is about to begin, yet those on the ground are left without accurate crime information to guide their operations. Officers know where the hotspots are, but without updated statistics, planning and resource allocation become guesswork,” she said.

She said timely crime data was not a courtesy but a constitutional and legal duty.

The ongoing delay and lack of communication from Saps suggested a worrying disregard for accountability and openness, she added.

ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James said the delays were taking place amid deepening turmoil within the Police Ministry, as well as uncertainty over the Acting Minister’s authority, a leadership vacuum at Saps, and ongoing investigations by an ad hoc committee into governance failures within the Ministry.

“…together, these developments paint a picture of a police service in crisis, one that appears to have lost focus on its constitutional duty to protect and inform the public,” she stated.

She said as violent crime continues to terrorise communities across South Africa, the “lack of transparency and accountability is unacceptable”.

ActionSA wants strong parliamentary oversight to ensure that those responsible for these recurring failures are held accountable.

“Year after year, South Africans are promised a more transparent and accountable police service. Yet what we continue to witness is instability, excuses, and a persistent disregard for the public’s right to know. It is time for the leadership of Saps and the Police Ministry to stop hiding behind bureaucracy and face the people they are meant to serve,” she stated.